This application claims priority UNDER 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 and contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application No. 11-234990 filed on Aug. 23, 1999, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coordinate inputting/detecting system including a display apparatus and a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, and a method of calibrating the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus of the coordinate inputting/detecting system.
2. Discussion of the Background
Electronic white boards are well known, in which information, which is manually written on a writing surface of a white writing board or a writing sheet, using a writing instrument, is read by a dedicated reading scanner and is output onto a recording sheet by a dedicated printer. Also, in recent years, a coordinate inputting/detecting system is commercially provided, in which a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus is arranged at a writing surface of an electronic white board, and in which information, which is manually written on the writing surface of the electronic white board, is input into a computer such as a personal computer in real time (i.e., as the information is written on the writing surface). For example, a soft-board manufactured by Microfield Graphics, Inc. includes a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus arranged on a white board, and visual data, such as characters and pictures, which are written on the white board, are input into a computer in real time. In a coordinate inputting/detecting system including the soft-board, visual data, which is input through the soft-board into a computer, is displayed on a CRT display or on a large screen using a liquid crystal projector, or output onto a recording sheet by a printer. Also, a display surface of a computer which is connected to the soft-board is projected on the soft-board by a liquid crystal projector so that the computer can be operated via the soft-board.
Also, a known coordinate inputting/detecting system includes a display apparatus for displaying characters and pictures, a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus having a coordinate inputting surface (a touch panel surface) arranged at a front surface of the display apparatus, and a control apparatus to control a display of the display apparatus according to an input from the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus. Such a system is used as an electronic white board with the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus serving as a display surface and a writing surface of the electronic white board, respectively.
For example, in SMART 2000 manufactured by SMART Technologies Inc., an image including characters, pictures, figures and graphics is projected on a panel using a liquid crystal projector, and information manually written on a writing surface of a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, that is arranged at a front surface of a projecting surface (a display surface) of the panel, is input into a computer through the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus. The manually written information and the projected image information are merged in the computer and displayed in real time via the liquid crystal projector.
Such a coordinate inputting/detecting systems including a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and a display apparatus as above is widely used, and the effect of the use is well received, for example, in conferences, presentations and training, because an image which is input;using the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus can be overlaid with an image which is displayed on a display screen of the display apparatus. The coordinate inputting/detecting system is also used for an electronic-conference system by incorporating an audio and image communicating function into the coordinate inputting/detecting system and connecting remote locations with a communication line.
Also, various types of coordinate inputting/detecting apparatuses using different inputting methods are known for use in the coordinate inputting/detecting system. For example, an optical coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus that does not include a physical detecting surface, such as a coordinate inputting surface (touch sensitive panel), is known. In such an optical coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, a coordinate inputting area is formed by light fluxes emitted by at least two light sources, and characters and figures are input by inserting a finger or a pen into the coordinate inputting area so as to interrupt or reflect the light fluxes. The optical coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus having no physical detecting surface has an advantage in that, even if the apparatus is arranged at the display surface of a display apparatus, the visibility of a display screen of the display apparatus is not hampered. The optical coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus also has an advantage in that the apparatus can be relatively easily enlarged.
In a coordinate inputting/detecting system in which a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus is arranged at a display surface of a display apparatus, the calibration of a coordinate inputting surface (coordinate inputting area) of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and a display area at a display surface of the display apparatus is important.
Generally, the calibration of a coordinate inputting surface (coordinate inputting area) of a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and a display area of a display apparatus is performed, for example, according to the procedure described below. In the following, as the display apparatus, a CRT display, which is generally connected to a personal computer, is used, and further, it is assumed that the calibration is performed when the coordinate inputting/detecting system is delivered to a customer""s premises. In particular, calibration includes:
1) Setting various modes relating to the display apparatus (e.g., the aspect ratio, the resolution, the frequency, etc.) on an operating system (OS) of a computer.
2) Adjusting the display position, width, height and distortion of the display area at a display surface of the display apparatus according to a predetermined signal from the computer. (Generally, in a fixed type display apparatus such as a plasma display panel (PDP) and a liquid crystal display (LCD), an optimum display point is fixed to a predetermined point, and in a projecting or rear-projecting type display apparatus such as a CRT display, a front projecting type projector and a rear projecting type projector, an optimum display point is determined by a person adjusting the apparatus.)
3) Attaching the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus to the display apparatus, and performing a positional correction using a calibration software installed in the computer. More particularly, three correcting points are displayed at upper left, upper right and lower right positions of the display area of the display apparatus, and then sequentially touched to obtain and memorize in the computer a correcting parameter (coefficient) that enables a detect position in the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and a display position in the display area of the display apparatus to coincide with each other. Subsequent detection of a coordinate is automatically performed according to the parameter memorized in the computer by a device driver of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus.
In such a coordinate inputting/detecting system including a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and a display apparatus as above described, however, when the system is delivered to a customer""s premises, after the display area of the display apparatus is adjusted, the calibration of a coordinate inputting surface (coordinate inputting area) of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus and the display area of the display apparatus is performed at the customer""s premises. Therefore, the work at the customer""s premises is rather complicated and is time consuming.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-discussed and other problems and addresses the above-discussed and other problems.
Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a novel coordinate inputting/detecting system and a calibration method for the system, that can simplify the work to be performed at a customer""s premises when the system is delivered to the customer""s premises.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a coordinate inputting/detecting system including a display apparatus having a display surface, and a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus having a coordinate inputting/detecting surface arranged at the display surface of the display apparatus so as to detect a designated position in the display surface of the display apparatus. The coordinate inputting/detecting system further includes a marking that is provided on the display surface of the display apparatus so as to define a predetermined virtual display area of the display apparatus, and a marking coordinate determining device that determines a coordinate of the marking with the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus when the marking is designated via the coordinate inputting/detecting surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus. Furthermore, the coordinate inputting/detecting system includes a marking coordinate memorizing device that memorizes the marking coordinate determined by the marking coordinate detecting device, and an adjusting device that adjusts a display area of the display apparatus to the virtual display area defined by the marking.
Accordingly, in the above coordinate inputting/detecting system, the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus are calibrated by designating the portion of marking defining the predetermined virtual display area of the display apparatus and by memorizing the coordinate of the marking, and thereafter, the display area of the display apparatus is adjusted to the virtual display area defined by the marking. Therefore, the calibration of the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus can be performed before the shipment of the coordinate inputting/detecting system from a factory, and thereby, when the system is delivered to a customer""s premises, only the adjustment of the display area of the display apparatus to the virtual display area is performed. Thus, the work to be performed when the system is delivered to the customer""s premises is simplified, and accordingly, can be performed quickly and reliably.
According to the invention, in the above coordinate inputting/detecting system, the display apparatus may not be required to be driven when the coordinate of the marking is detected. Therefore, the calibration of the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus before shipment is facilitated.
Further, in the above coordinate inputting/detecting system, the coordinate inputting/detecting surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus may include a source of light flux and the marking may include a marking member that interrupts or reflects the light flux. By thus configuring the system, the marking coordinate is detected without an operation of designating the marking by a designating member, for example, by a finger, further facilitating the calibration of the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus before the shipment.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coordinate inputting/detecting system includes a display apparatus having a display surface, and a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus having a coordinate inputting/detecting surface, that includes a source of light flux, arranged at the display surface of the display apparatus so as to detect a designated position in the display surface of the display apparatus. The coordinate inputting/detecting system further includes a marking member that is arranged on the display surface of the display apparatus according to a display area of the display apparatus so as to interrupt or reflect the light flux, a marking coordinate determining device that is configured to detect the coordinate where the marking member is arranged based on the detected designated position of the making member, and a marking coordinate memorizing device that memorizes the coordinate of the marking member detected by the marking coordinate determining device.
Accordingly, in the coordinate inputting/detecting system configured as immediately above, the calibration of the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus is performed by arranging the marking member on the display surface of the display apparatus according to the display area of the display apparatus and by detecting and memorizing the coordinate of the marking member as a result of the light flux being interrupted or reflected by the marking member. Therefore, the calibration of the display apparatus and the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus can be completed, while the display area of the display apparatus is defined and fixed, before the shipment of the system. Thus, the operation of adjusting the display area of the display apparatus when the system is delivered to a customer""s place is eliminated, further facilitating the work to be done at a customer""s premises when the system is delivered to the customer""s premises.